Wednesday, April 13, 2011

John MacArthur Begins a Series of Articles Analyzing the Teaching of Rob Bell

Yesterday John MacArthur posted the first in a series of articles that will address the teaching of controversial emergent church pastor Rob Bell. The first post is entitled Rob Bell: a Brother to Embrace, or a Wolf to Avoid? In it MacArthur introduces the projected series by explaining the need for it and the Biblical approach that will be taken in it. Here is the first part of the post

Is Rob Bell truly a Christian, or is he one of those dangerous deceivers Scripture warns us about repeatedly (Acts 20:29; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Colossians 2:8; 2 Peter 2:1; etc.)?

It's a fair—and necessary—question. Christ’s famous warning about wolves in sheep’s clothing is given to us as an imperative: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16). Our Lord clearly expects His true disciples to be able to spot spiritual imposters and wolves in sheep’s clothing—especially those who are purveyors of deadly false doctrines.

Rob Bell certainly fits that category. He relentlessly casts doubt on the authority and reliability of Scripture. He denies the Bible’s perspicuity, disavows its hard truths, and ridicules some of the most important features of the gospel.

Granted, Bell (who was raised in the evangelical movement and is an alumnus of Wheaton College) still insists on calling himself “evangelical.” He reiterated that claim recently in a March 14 interview with Lisa Miller, where he stated, “Do I think that I’m evangelical and orthodox to the bone? Yes.”

A careful examination of Bell’s teaching suggests, however, that his profession of faith is not credible. His claim that he is “evangelical and orthodox to the bone” is, to put it bluntly, a lie. Bell’s teaching gives no evidence of any real evangelical conviction. If “each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:44), we cannot blithely embrace Rob Bell as a “brother” just because he says he wants to be accepted as an evangelical.

You may read the rest here. I will update this post as MacArthur adds to the series, collecting the links for each article here for your convenience. I continue to be thankful for the way the Lord has used MacArthur's ministry over the years to help the rest of us stand up against false doctrine.

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